


First Meeting

by Caitriona_3, GalahadsGurl, GrimmLegacy (GalahadsGurl), PackGirl (Caitriona_3)



Series: Complicated: The Epic Grimm Family Saga [14]
Category: 28 Weeks Later (2007), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Gen, Jeremy Renner Character Combinations, Multiple Crossovers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-25
Updated: 2019-12-27
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:42:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,361
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21963046
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Caitriona_3/pseuds/Caitriona_3, https://archiveofourown.org/users/GalahadsGurl/pseuds/GalahadsGurl, https://archiveofourown.org/users/GalahadsGurl/pseuds/GrimmLegacy, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Caitriona_3/pseuds/PackGirl
Summary: Nick Fury strode down the hallway, a little irked at being on this side of the Atlantic.  How had he ended up beingthatman – the one people came to when they needed someone to take control of an asset?
Series: Complicated: The Epic Grimm Family Saga [14]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1489391
Comments: 43
Kudos: 37





	1. First Meeting - Cover Art

**Author's Note:**

> Takes place in September 2004

[ ](https://imgur.com/A2b4rBS)

_"Life is full of surprises."_

_~John Major_


	2. First Meeting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'm posting as GG is busy with family stuff. We both can't begin to express how much your support for this series means to us. Each and every comment and kudos is received with a great deal of excitement and joy. 
> 
> As a note of timing - this is happening around the same time as Vika wakes up, maybe just a little before.

FIRST MEETING

Nick Fury strode down the hallway, a little irked at being on this side of the Atlantic. How had he ended up being **that** man – the one people came to when they needed someone to take control of an asset? Sure, the agreement he made with the Army in regards to the Grimms had worked out in S.H.I.E.L.D.’s favor. In fact, it worked out better than he could have anticipated, giving his organization a depth of talent at the top that left the other intelligence and law enforcement agencies in the dust.

But he hadn’t planned for that situation to set some kind of precedent.

And yet . . . 

David Perron called and told him of a Delta Force soldier in a La Havre hospital. The soldier had been involved in the mess in London – a situation that remained under the strictest code of silence. Even his agents had trouble tracking down more than the vaguest of details. He found the murk annoying, but with everything else going on, he didn’t have the time or resources to dedicate to running down more intelligence. General Perron – a man he actually respected – didn’t want to see the Special Forces lose such a talented unit leader to a court martial. Unless someone took him from the army, or at least managed to get some kind of claim to him, the man would face years in Leavenworth for violating orders.

Hence why Fury found himself in France with the intention of meeting the soldier to find out if the younger man would even suit his organization. 

Ignoring the nurses who moved to stop him, he strode into the man’s room. “I really hope you’re worth all the trouble you’re putting me to, soldier.”

One khaki green eye peered at him from a face covered in bandages. “Well, if not, the door’s behind you,” he shot back. Fury could appreciate the dry snarky tone in his voice, especially as he paused before drawling out the last word. “Sir.”

“Well, that’s promising.” Fury’s dark eye scanned the man in the bed, taking in the figure from head to toe. According to the report he’d received – incomplete due to Delta Force’s understandable paranoia in regards to its agents – this man should probably have been dead. With the covers pulled up to his chest, most of his bandages and injuries remained hidden. Except of course for his face. Bringing the report to mind, Fury recalled the information about the gash – it bisected his eyebrow and trailed down his cheek to his jaw. It should leave one hell of a scar. “You look like hell, Sergeant Doyle.”

“If I look as bad as I feel, sir, I’ll concede you might be right.”

Fury chuckled as he grabbed the armchair from where it had been pushed against the wall. “Do you sass all your superiors, sergeant?” he asked as he took a seat beside the man.

“As a rule of thumb, sir.”

“And do they take offense?”

The one visible side of the man’s mouth quirked up. “Only the stupid ones, sir.”

“How many of them are stupid?”

“Typically?” The quirk lifted into a real smile. “All of them, sir.”

Again Fury had to chuckle. He remembered those days as a junior officer. A long time had passed, but one never forgot the feeling of getting a stupid order and having to follow it anyway. Fortunately, as director, he now possessed some degree of autonomy. Which meant he could ignore some carefully chosen orders and trust that his superiors wouldn’t do a damn thing about it. 

Leaning back in his seat, he scrutinized what he could see of the man in the bed. Something in the line of his face . . . the curve of his jaw . . . something about it bothered him. All of the bandages made it difficult to put his finger on what seemed familiar, but some of it probably came from the man’s ability to throw impudence in the face of an uncertain future. The rest of it . . . Shaking his head, Fury waved the thought away. Whatever it was, he saw no point in poking at it now. The question wouldn’t resolve itself today and he could wait for it to come to fruition on its own.

“So, Sergeant, are you aware of your situation?”

“I’m laid up here until I’m healed,” Doyle replied, droll dismay clear in his tone. “At which point, the Army’s going to throw me in Leavenworth and someone will conveniently misplace the key.” He hitched one shoulder, grimacing despite the set of his jaw. “That seems to be the scuttlebutt I’m hearing from the people I know.”

Which probably meant his team still fed him information as they could. The kind of loyalty that came in a team like that didn’t just evaporate overnight. One corner of Fury’s mouth pulled up into a smirk. “Do you disagree with this outcome, Sergeant?”

The man paused, surprise clear in those green eyes. “It this a trap, sir?”

“No trap, Doyle.” Genuine respect threaded through Fury at the younger man’s hesitance. Most people would have lied, misdirected, or come up with any plan they could to avoid the question. Doyle did none of these things – he went straight for the heart of his concern. “Just a simple question looking for an honest answer.”

Cautious curiosity glimmered in the reddened eye. “Yes, sir, I do,” he announced after a moment’s consideration. “All due respect, sir, but it was a stupid order. We don’t leave men behind.”

“Even if the ‘men’ in question wasn’t a man at all?”

Doyle flinched back at the question, his jaw hardening. “You’re nitpicking, sir.” Veiled contempt lined the honorific and Fury had to give him points for guts. Reckless, maybe, but the man had some definite guts. “Man or woman, sir – Major Ross was one of our own. If there was even the smallest chance she was alive, I wasn’t going to leave her behind.”

Some of Perron’s handwritten notes included the team buzz about the relationship between the two, so Fury raised an eyebrow. “She was very beautiful.”

“Damn right.” Fury recognized the look in that khaki green gaze – it held the same gut wrenching sorrow he felt every time he looked up at the portrait of his Contessa. It would define every moment of this young man’s being for the **rest** of his life. The poor bastard had Fury’s sympathy. A sparkle of humor broke through the grief. “And she’d have punched both of us already for that being the first attribute you mentioned.”

“Sounds like a woman I could admire.” Clearing his throat, Fury changed the subject. “Have you spoken to your commanding officer yet, sergeant?”

“Which one, sir?” Doyle scoffed, the bitter tone almost blistering. “The douchebag captain who’s verbally kicked my ass at least twice since I woke up?” Then his voice softened, almost respectful as he continued, “Or the general in charge of my regiment?”

“I’m talking about General Perron, soldier,” Fury replied in lieu of an actual answer. “I’ve found his judgment sound – and he’s a good man who genuinely wants the best for his people. He considers you to be one of his, so he sent me here to try and save you from prison. He’s adamant that you’re too valuable to lose to Leavenworth.” A small blush darkened the man’s visible ear. Fury considered the soldier, a smirk curving his mouth. He didn’t think that Delta Force **could** blush after a certain point. “From where I’m sitting, I’m inclined to believe he’s right.”

“Kind of you, sir, but I don’t see how that changes anything.” Straightening up as much as he could against his mattress, Doyle gave him a flat look. “I knew what I was doing, sir, and I’d do it again.” Again he lifted that one shoulder. “If the Army thinks that I deserve to be locked up for it, I’ll go without complaint.”

Fury gave a quiet grunt of disagreement. He’d been a soldier long enough to know that just because the Brass held an opinion, that didn’t necessarily make it a smart opinion. It also didn’t mean someone should pay too much attention to it. Once again, he thanked whatever god was out there that Director Carter came to recruit a hot-headed, smart-mouthed soldier . . . and save him from himself. “How about we tried to avoid that?” he countered. “If we can?”

“How the hell am I going to be able to do that, sir?” Doyle asked, his one eyebrow lifting towards a singed hairline. “From where I’m sitting, I don’t have a leg to stand on in my own defense.” He lifted a bandaged hand. “I was given an order; I disobeyed – end of story.” 

“Giving up so easily, soldier?” 

“The Army has me dead to rights,” he growled, his mouth twisting in reluctant acceptance. “If I’m not in Leavenworth within twenty-four hours of my release, I’ll be shocked.”

_I’m going to regret this._

Despite the thought running through his mind, Fury focused on the burn in his gut telling him recruitment was the right call to make. He’d made a career out of listening to his instincts and they hadn’t failed him yet. “Then it’s a good thing I’m willing to offer you alternative employment that will wriggle you free of your pesky problem, isn’t it?”

That eyebrow rose again and Fury swallowed a chuckle. “Sir,” Doyle began in a tone just the right side of respectful, though the honorific held more than its fair share of sarcasm. “I’ve been Delta Force my entire adult life. I’m not willing to give up my place within the ranks just because I fucked up.” Pride lifted his chin. “They can lock me up, but they’ll lock me up as Delta Force.” His mouth tightened. “Sir.”

“You’ll still be Delta Force, Sergeant,” Fury assured him with a shake of his head. “You’ll still lead a strike team for them when they have need of you.” His eye narrowed. “However, when they don’t need you, you’ll work for me at my organization.

“And what organization is **that**?” Doyle demanded, suspicion clear in his voice.

Personally, he approved – suspicion kept people alive in his line of work. He felt the sly grin slipping across his lips, the one he knew Marina referred to as his ‘shark’s grin’ – the one he only used when he sensed the proverbial blood in the water. “The Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement and Logistics Division,” he replied, his tone lazy and satisfied as Doyle gave a startled blink. “We usually answer to S.H.I.E.L.D.”

“I can see why.” Amused disdain coated the man’s voice. “That’s a hell of a mouthful, isn’t it, sir?”

“So I’ve been told.” He watched Doyle for a long moment. “What do you think, Sergeant? Any interest in escaping your fate and joining us?”

“Do I have time to think about it?”

Fury would never admit it, but his respect grew at the inquiry. Again, most would have leapt for any chance to avoid imprisonment instead of taking the time to consider the implications. “Seeing as they won’t court-martial you until you’re on your own two feet, you have **some** time, yes,” he agreed. “But I wouldn’t ruminate into your own belly button for too long – you’ll be up and around a lot faster than you think.”

“Joy.” For a moment Doyle remained quiet, his single eye focused on Fury’s face. “If I join your homeland intervention team, any chance I can use its resources to do some intelligence gathering for a personal question?”

“Major Ross has been declared KIA, soldier.”

“Yeah, I’m aware.” Again that deep sorrow burdened the man’s voice. “But this isn’t about her.” His hand moved over the blankets in a quick, restless movement.

Real curiosity curled through Fury’s chest. “What are you looking for, Sergeant?”

“Not what, sir,” Doyle corrected. “Who.” He took a deep breath. “Scar . . . that is, Major Ross and I were helping two kids,” he explained. “We didn’t get a chance to leave, but Flynn should have gotten them out.” Again his hand brushed over his covers. “I want to see if I can find them, check on them.” Khaki green locked with dark brown. “They were orphaned, sir, and I’d taken responsibility for them.”

Understanding and humor drowned out the curiosity. If nothing else, he knew Marina would like this man. And she had practice at dealing with reckless fools who walked the line between obedience and rebellion. Tentative plans for assigning the man began to come together in his mind. “Tell you what, Sergeant,” Fury decided as he leaned forward to brace his forearms on his thighs. “You promise me to give some serious consideration to my offer, and I’ll get the wheels started on tracking them down.”

“You will?”

“Perron thinks you’re worth saving,” Fury reminded him. “And I haven’t seen anything as yet to prove the man wrong. I’m willing to go out on a limb.”

It took another moment, but then Doyle nodded. “Then I’ll consider it,” he agreed. “Whenever you come back, I’ll have a firm answer for you, sir.”

“Excellent.” Fury pushed himself to his feet. “Give me the names of the kids. I’ve got Warrant Officer Harold Flynn’s information in my files.”

“Harris,” Doyle replied, a flare of hope burning in his gaze. “Tammy and Andy Harris.”

“Right.” He made a mental note to get some agents busy tracking them down. “We’ll be keeping our eyes on you, Sergeant.” His shark’s grin returned. “I promise – we’ll hear about your release date before you will. And I’ll be back before then.”

“Very Big Brother of you, sir.”

“Welcome to S.H.I.E.L.D., Sergeant,” he replied, just managing to swallow the laugh. “Paranoia reins from here.” He swept from the room, trench coat flaring in the turn, but he couldn’t hold back the smirk as he heard the quiet mutter behind him.

“Well that sounds like all **kinds** of fun.”


	3. First Meeting Cast List

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here is the cast list for First Meeting

[ ](https://imgur.com/c1OoVpw)

[](https://imgur.com/oO6omdQ)

Samuel L. Jackson as Director Nicholas Fury

[ ](https://imgur.com/FlhMWXh)

Jeremy Renner as Sergeant James Doyle


End file.
